Conscious Eating in 2013

Posted onJanuary 15, 2013byMary

It’s clichéd but true—New Year’s is a time of reflection and commitment, or re-commitment if our path has strayed from where we’d like to be. My personal dedication to “Conscious Eating,” took a deeper turn in 2012 as I’ve been working with a healer who temporarily took me off certain foods in order to more deeply heal various systems in my body. The hardest withdrawal for me by far has been to eliminate ALL fruit, vinegars and sweeteners—honey, maple syrup, cane sugar, palm sugar—truly ALL sweeteners. I have not been perfect, but even going weeks at a time without eating these foods has made a huge difference, and I’ve been surprised by how much my taste buds have re-awakened. Like salt, sugar masks the flavors in whole, natural foods. This new diet has forced me to be creative with what I call sweet; for instance, fresh snap peas were my “dessert” for a while. Artichokes also became a “sweet” for me. I’m allowed to have blueberries and blackberries now (oh joy!) and have gotten really creative with spices to see what enhances their flavor without any sugar.

Another huge benefit for me has been the elimination of cravings and more clarity of mind. Sugar is so pervasive in our diet—probably even more so than gluten. It is far from the “special treat” that it used to be in our culture not that long ago. I imagine most people in the U.S. eat sugar every day, if not all day long. It’s in everything from sweetened drinks to cereals, catsup and spaghetti sauce, snack crackers, breads—the list is endless. Take a look in your cupboards to see where sugar is hidden in your food, and give your body a break and go sugar-free for a day! I’d love to hear where your “Conscious Eating” journey is taking you this year, and I’m glad that Mary’s Gone Crackers is part of your path.